Monday 19th May 2008
Dear all, please find the latest on Thomas Coville (Sodeb’O) below. This
evening's translations for Gitana Team (Loick Peyron - Gitana Eighty in the
Artemis Transat; Gitana 13's progress on their Dalian-Taipei record) should
now be available on the English site of HYPERLINK
"http://www.gitana-team.com/"www.gitana-team.com
THE RIGHT PACE FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC RECORD: LESS THAN 6 DAYS, 4 HOURS, 1
MINUTE AND 36 SECONDS
Press release 36
THOMAS COVILLE AND HIS MAXI TRIMARAN SODEB’O ON STANDBY IN NEW YORK
Thomas Coville’s maxi trimaran Sodeb’O (105 feet) is currently moored at
Brooklyn’s Gateway Marina in New York, ready to set off on the North
Atlantic record attempt.
Since its launch in Australia virtually to the day, the maxi trimaran
Sodeb’O has already covered nearly 40,000 miles around the world. Last
winter, Thomas attempted to beat the solo round the world record and, twenty
days after the start, the skipper broke the 24 hour speed record with an
average of 25.8 knots, sailing 619.3 miles in the space of 24 hours. A few
minutes later, the maxi Sodeb’O lost one of its bows and the skipper was
forced to retire from his round the world record attempt. Disappointed but
never tiring of the adventure, Thomas headed back to South Africa. After
over a month of repairs in Cape Town at the America's Cup base of Shosoloza,
Thomas Coville and his crew left the South African coast bound for New York.
Since the start of the month, the Sodeboys have configured the boat for
record mode. The crew bunks have been taken out, the tool box lightened, the
diesel tank emptied and the engine’s propeller shaft dismantled. “Thomas
simply has to put on his foulies and set off!” said a delighted Thierry
Briend, the Sodeb’O Team’s boat captain.
New York (USA) – Lizard Point (GB) in less than 6 days, 4 hours, 1 minute
and 37 seconds.
A century ago it took 12 days and 4 hours to cross the North Atlantic and
that was quite an exploit. In order to propel his 56 metre schooner, the
skipper Charlie Barr was accompanied by 50 crew members.
In 2008, Thomas Coville's objective is to make Lizard Point single-handed in
less than 6 days, 4 hours, 1 minute and 37 seconds, a time set by Francis
Joyon aboard his trimaran IDEC in 2005. “It’s true that the bar has been set
high. Francis’ route is exceptional once again. However, maintaining the
maxi Sodeb’O at an average of over 19.75 knots over 2,980 miles for 6 days
remains an achievable performance" confides the skipper of Sodeb'O. Crossing
the Atlantic on a 105 foot (32 metre) multihull single-handed is an extreme
challenge. “You react like a metronome in your manoeuvres, eating,
slaloming… the most important thing is to keep up a good pace. I’m expecting
to be at 200% for 6 days!”
Waiting for the right weather window
“Ideally I’ll set out ahead of a low, which will push us all the way to the
finish; this is why it’s complicated choosing the right weather window. Two
years ago, we waited too long for these ideal conditions. This time around
we’ll be more daring” confided the skipper. Weather routers Thierry
Douillard, Christian Dumard and Richard Silvani are now watching their
screens in a bid to dissect and analyse the grib files, ready to pounce on
the slightest movement in the lows. With this in mind, as soon as they spot
this infamous favourable weather window, Thomas will jump onto the first
plane to New York. The sailor will then have a few days to get over his jet
lag whilst his shore crew take care scrubbing down the maxi-trimaran from
top to toe. Finally, they’ll need to load two days of fresh food aboard, the
rest of the freeze-dried meals, cereal bars and energy drinks already
embarked.
Follow the latest on the Trimaran Sodeb'O on the website HYPERLINK
www.sodebo-voile.com
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